I am going to shift the order of the lessons in order to be able to concisely explain specific ideas before I jump into the auto-biographical aspects. This should enable me to demonstrate the ideas of the first group of lessons in a more robust way using examples from my life. Consider this lesson to be the first part of a larger series in the contrasts between individuals and their development.
As a rule, we tend to operate with several tropes about the world about us, particularly when it comes to a person’s individual growth. Children are selfish monsters that will eat all your candy and play all day if given the chance. Teenagers and young adults are rebellious against authority and whichever systems are in place. We enjoy convincing ourselves that as “adults” we have a finer maneuverability to our own drives versus the demands the world imposes on us. However, the variation of temperament in individuals throughout these stages can be jarringly wide. Some children appear “shy.” Some teenagers don’t rebel, instead they shrink back into themselves. Worst of all, too many adults behave simply as children with financial autonomy. Upbringing definitely plays a major part in these contrasts, however there is an aspect of nature that is often ignored. We go through different developmental stages as we grow older, yet the strength of these stages can end up being variegated by the nature of a person. In today’s lesson, we will start painting the picture of the nature of an individual against their developmental stages, in order to understand in what ways we are unique to each other. It will be vital to keep in the back of your mind our previous lessons about ligands and receptors.
Have you ever met someone that cannot handle much stimulation for an extended period of time? Perhaps, you are someone that begins to feel physically and emotionally fatigued when experiencing new and stimulating images or sounds for too long. I personally cannot handle crowds of people for more than a few hours, as I have difficulty ignoring all of them I begin to feel information overload. If you’ve ever had the need to hide away, turn off all the lights in silence just to catch a break, you may be someone with Sensory Processing Sensitivity. Dr. Elaine Aron pioneered this concept, itself an extension of Carl Jung’s observations, that there is approximately 15 to 20 percent of the population that is more sensitive to stimuli than others. [Acevedo BP, Aron EN, Aron A, Sangster MD, Collins N, Brown LL. The highly sensitive brain: an fMRI study of sensory processing sensitivity and response to others' emotions. Brain Behav. 2014;4(4):580-594. doi:10.1002/brb3.242] This can be a blessing and a curse, depending on how well you listen and speak your own body’s language. Sensory Processing Sensitivity is defined as “an increased sensitivity of the central nervous system and a deeper cognitive processing of physical, social, and emotional stimuli.”
These Highly Sensitive Persons (HSPs) learn deeply from more subtle cues at a young age, are detail oriented, emphatic yet also appear to be more fragile. Oftentimes, HSP children are incorrectly assumed to be “introverted” or “shy” when they are simply taking longer to learn any particular scenario at a deeper level than the average child might. HSPs generally have a tendency to become more stressed when being observed and evaluated. The actual reality may be that the child simply wants to have the best approach before taking action, which is counter to our idea of the hyper-aggressive monstrous rampaging child. We do our children a disservice by categorizing their traits incorrectly as flaws because they learn so deeply, incorrectly telling a child that they’re shy might impose that trait onto them moving forward.
How can we recognize if we have Sensory Processing Sensitivity? There are several personality traits or preferences that can lead us to conclude we may be a Highly Sensitive Person. Here is a list of just a few examples:
A preference towards solitude or familiar persons for company
Being made uncomfortable or even breaking out in rashes by certain types of fabric
Easily overwhelmed by bright lights, noises, or smells
Sensitivity to caffeine
Feeling moved and overwhelmed by other people’s emotions
An extreme need to withdraw when overstimulated (either from recreational stimuli or overwhelming life demands.)
Having what is known as a “complex and rich inner life” associated with its own deep thinking and powerful emotions.
Recall the previous main lesson about how intrinsically intertwined our feelings are with ligands and receptors. We can demonstrate precisely how the HSP differs from the average person based on the amount of receptor activation that occurs in certain areas of the brain and body. One particular study of note concluded: “Across all conditions, HSP scores were associated with increased brain activation of regions involved in attention and action planning (in the cingulate and premotor area [PMA]). For happy and sad photo conditions, SPS was associated with activation of brain regions involved in awareness, integration of sensory information, empathy, and action planning (e.g., cingulate, insula, inferior frontal gyrus [IFG], middle temporal gyrus [MTG], and PMA).” Thus we can conclude that there is a significant biological difference in reaction to stimuli between individuals based on inborn traits.
However, with great receptor activation comes great responsibility. Recall the first lesson, when we over-activate our receptors, their efficacy decreases and our minds and bodies react negatively. This is where the desire to “withdraw” comes from. Personally, I grew up with film, music and video games being my specific recreations of choice, yet I would find myself irritated or unable to appreciate them at times. Headaches and severe mood swings were not uncommon, yet I had no understanding that I was overstimulating myself and causing myself pain. The modern man now has an issue with cellphone overstimulation, as it is so easy to grab a cellphone and browse so many various different, interesting things without an effort whatsoever. I recognize that my mood is more unstable the more time I spend lollygagging about on my cellphone instead of giving my mind and eyes a rest.
There are positives to having Sensory Processing Sensitivity. Learning at a deeper level enables one to excel in almost any category. The HSP can learn the subtleties of a sport faster than the average person, and may be able to react faster in reflex based scenarios. Increased empathy can result in being able to relate to the plights of others in a service situation, either medical or just as a friend. One might even be able to recognize danger signs before others can and act as an alarm to potential threats. HSPs have a tendency to be extraordinarily creative, capable of engulfing themselves in the arts and producing culturally valuable works.
Being able to learn deeply may appear to be a blessing on its surface, however it can lead to very restrictive mental processes. For instance, a highly sensitive child may watch a scene in a film of someone drowning or being attacked by a swarm of bees, resulting in a newfound deep seated fear of water or flying insects. Another child might strongly desire acknowledgement from their father whom watches football on TV on his leisure time, and learn that they only receive such attention when they excel at sports and not school. A child can learn the very profound and destructive lesson that they’re simply not good enough, before they understand what it means to work and improve themselves. Many HSPs have to unlearn some of these very deeply held beliefs about themselves as adults in order to fully flourish. They have much to offer others in terms of their attention to detail, empathy and intense thinking ability, however much of our modern society categorized them as outcasts because of the resulting withdrawal due to overstimulation. It is vital to recognize how to maneuver around one’s Sensory Processing Sensitivity, which entails understanding one’s limits and setting boundaries with the immediate environment, all of which is easier said than done.
Setting boundaries is a difficulty for many people with the Sensory Processing Sensitivity trait, particularly due to increased empathy for others in a society that caters to those less sensitive. The Highly Sensitive Person can often times feel that their whole being is dependent on the happiness of others, and thus willingly sacrifice their own comfort to ensure that others are taken care of. This can be seen in many scenarios such as in communal, familial, and occupational capacities. The HSP might give and give to their friends and family, potentially more than ever actually demanded of them, then feel the resultant emotional and physical burnout: in a scenario like this it is not unusual for the HSP to blame the friends for not caring enough about them. The problem of burnout is frequent in the employment realm as well, the HSP has a propensity to work extremely productively in bursts, however the burnout is inevitable and can cause missed days or mood swings directed at co-workers or employers. HSPs must learn their limits, and give themselves space to recover from the world around them before they begin to fall apart.
If you can relate to the traits associated with Sensory Processing Sensitivity, I highly recommend Dr. Elaine Aron’s book The Highly Sensitive Person if you would like further examples on how to approach yourself.
Ask yourself: Do you have limits? How do you relax and refresh yourself after pushing yourself too hard? Would you benefit from relaxing before you hit your limit?
The tentative publishing date for the next main lesson is the 8th of October, 2021.
I apologize if the quality of this lesson is not quite up to par. I will strive to improve as this course continues, I greatly appreciate all of your support! I believe in you!